See Kirk Hammett’s Wondrous Fascination as He Watches Metallica Covers

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and in most cases that's a correct assessment. Not only have Metallica done their fair share of covers over the years, but the band is one of the most covered acts in metal. During a recent sit down with Luisito Rey, Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett was introduced to some of the more popular covers of his band's music and the response is something you've got to see.

Hammett's expressions range from confusion to simple awe as he watches each of the renditions, commenting on most of the clips. The video starts with Rob Scallon's banjo cover of "Master of Puppets," with Hammett stating, "It's amazing that first they would take the time to learn the song and I think they would first probably have to learn it on guitar and then speed up the banjo and transcribe on the banjo and so I have to give them credit. They put a lot of work into it." He gave it a "5," the top score available.

The guitarist was generous with most of the clips, handing out a lot of "5's" along the way. However, one video of a six-year-old boy almost engulfed in size by the guitar he was playing adeptly mastering "Nothing Else Matters" that led Hammett to respond with a simple "Wow!" before stating that the youth has a huge future if he continues to play. The guitarist also suggested he'd give another "5" if he could.

Hammett also views clips from Beatallica (a Beatles/Metallica tribute), Metallica for Babies and some of their songs covered in flamenco, mariachi band, hip-hop, merengue, salsa, ska and remixed styles. The guitarist appeared to be truly impressed at the variety of covers, revealing that he had only seen a couple prior to shooting the piece. Watch his reactions as each video plays out Luisito Rey's video above.

Meanwhile, you can see Metallica playing their songs as originally intended when they return to the road later this month and throughout the year on their "WorldWired" tour. Be sure to get your tickets for the run.

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